Big stars lit up the night during last week’s 28th annual Dinner Under the Stars. We were honored to have Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) as our esteemed speakers. 

As guests sat amidst the National Arboretum’s living museum of trees, Secretary Vilsack marveled at how trees communicate and support each other across species through an underground fungal network where they share resources like nutrients and water. “Just understand that underneath the ground, they are communicating with one another. And their only goal is communicating. I think that's an incredible lesson,” he said. Senator Stabenow and Representative Thompson also emphasized this importance of collaboration in support of horticulture and agriculture for our future.

Throughout the night, each speaker stressed how the National Arboretum’s horticulture research plays an important role in America’s $4.5 billion ornamental and landscape plant industry. “Scientists here have developed over 650 different woody and herbaceous plants, many of which are disease resistant. These varieties are made available to the horticulture industry at no charge,” Representative Thompson noted. Senator Stabenow commented, “It's a hub, we know, of scientific innovation, where we advance American agriculture, protect ecosystems, combat invasive species, and address the climate crisis, which is all around us."

Dinner Under the Stars is FONA’s most important event each year and is held on behalf of the National Arboretum. Thank you to our top sponsors for making this event possible: Bartlett Tree Experts, Bayer, International Paper / American Forest & Paper Association, and Margaret Strand. We also couldn’t host this event without the dedication of our Dinner co-chairs, Martha Van Dale, Chandler Goule, and Anne MacMillan.

Thank you also to the hundreds of guests who joined us for this event! Proceeds from the Dinner enable FONA to support and promote the National Arboretum so all can enjoy its open green space and the fruits of its research.

Exciting news! Last week, the USDA Agricultural Research Service launched a brand new Biocollections Portal. This portal makes critical ARS collections digitally accessible to the American public for the first time ever.

The National Arboretum's Herbarium and National Seed Herbarium are two of the four collections currently available on the portal. So far, there are 2.8 million biological records available on the entire portal. ARS plans to add more collections and refine the existing ones, including adding all the Herbarium specimen images in the near future.

The National Arboretum spearheaded the collaborative effort across the Agency to make the Biocollections Portal possible. It marks the culmination of years of work by Dr. Harlan Svoboda, the Herbarium Collections Curator, and countless other Arboretum staff and volunteers, to digitize the Arboretum's Herbarium Collection.

Explore the Biocollections Portal >

Celebrate access to the great outdoors during this Saturday, September 28th's National Public Lands Day events in the Washington Youth Garden! We are excited to host these events in partnership with the National Environmental Education Foundation, USDA Forest Service, and Corazon Latino.

From 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM, volunteer to help us plant native fruit trees along the garden's edge to help control invasive weeds. While this special volunteer morning is geared towards service members, veterans, military retirees, and their families, all are welcome to participate.

Register for the Volunteer Morning >

From 11 AM to 1 PM, join us for free family-friendly activities in the garden. There will be forest bathing, scavenger hunts, veggie and honey tastings, and more. The Buffalo Soldiers and Woodsy Owl will also be in attendance. Make sure to be there at noon for a surprise sweet treat!

Learn More About Activities & Let Us Know You're Coming >

Bonsai #299 is a new addition to the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, donated by Karen S. Harkaway, MD, and arriving to the Museum on April 21st. This Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) was collected by Todd Schlafer in 2016 and originally styled by Harkaway and Mauro Stemberger in 2019, with detailed styling done in 2022 by the same pair. Those interested in these two styling sessions can find video of them on Mauro Stemberger’s YouTube channel.

The bonsai has been growing since 2021 in its crescent-shaped cement pot, made by Erik Krizovensky. The container perfectly accents the cascading motion of the spruce, and its coloration mimics that of the bark and dead wood. This tree made an appearance at the Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Society Spring Festival in 2022, and then won the North American Award for Finest Native American Bonsai a year later at the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. Visit the North American pavilion at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at any time of the year to see Bonsai #299 and many, many more incredible plants.

Kamala Codrington-White, an ORISE fellow at the National Arboretum, shares plants of note at the Arboretum in this recurring segment. Find these plants on your next trip to the Arboretum. Photo by U.S. National Arboretum.

Volunteer Morning for National Public Lands Day

September 28, 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Volunteer event for service members, veterans, and their families in WYG

Learn More & Register >

National Public Lands Day

September 28, 11 AM - 1 PM

Free family activities in WYG

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SoulFULL Vegan Fest

October 13, 11 AM - 4:30 PM

Plant-based food, live music, speakers

Learn More & Register >

Bulb Sale & Garlic Planting Party

October 26, 11 AM - 2 PM

Edible & ornamental bulb sale, free family crafts, fall planting in WYG

Learn More & Register >

Fall 5K

November 10, 8:30 AM

Run or walk through stunning fall foliage

Race Registration >

Winter Festival

December 7, 10 AM - 4 PM

Holiday market, food trucks, and free kids activities

Save the date — more details to come

Christmas Tree Sale

December 7 - 8, 10 AM - 4 PM

Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands

Save the date — more details to come

Forest Bathing Walks

Various dates and times

Meditation and mindfulness

Upcoming Dates & Registration >